CLEARLAKE >> Raymond Mayo’s year may not have started the way he wanted, but it could end way better than he expected.
Mayo, 17, who will be a senior at Lower Lake High School when the new school year opens, is headed to Gillette, Wyoming next month to participate in the National High School Finals Rodeo. He punched his ticket to the National Finals earlier this month by placing third in the bull riding event at the California High School Rodeo State Finals in Bishop.
While the end of Mayo’s 2016-17 season is certainly noteworthy, it didn’t start out so well, according to the Clearlake resident.
“I’ve had a rough season,” Mayo said.
Two spills off a bull this season resulted in injuries that sidelined Mayo for a bit. He fractured four ribs during a practice session, then fractured a leg at Ferndale when his hand got caught up in the rope while he was dismounting the bull.
“I kind of got hung up and the bull stepped on the back of my calf,” Mayo said.
And when an animal that big – rodeo bulls average 1,500 pounds – steps on you, that’s enough to ruin anyone’s day.
Mayo has been involved in rodeo for 11 years. A friend who road sheep in rodeos (also known as mutton busting) sparked his interest in the sport.
“His dad was a bull rider,” Mayo said.
Mayo got his first taste of riding bulls back in the sixth grade and he became very good at it in a short amount of time. He was a state reserve champion bull rider in 2013 and he placed second in 2014 while competing in the California High School Rodeo junior high division.
His strong finish in Bishop earlier this month was his best to date in high school competition. Mayo logged scores high enough in the first two rounds to earn a spot in the short round.
“I stayed on my bull for seven seconds and I ended up third in the state,” Mayo said of his ride in the short round.
The son of Patrick and Diane Mayo, Raymond also has two sisters. One of them, Emily, 15, is a two-time Nationals qualifier in pole bending.
